Urban Aluminium, a local manufacturer located in Mount Kuring-gai, will receive $55,000 from the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF) for a $110,000 machine that will enable more efficient production of aluminium smart poles.
Julian Leeser MP said the support came at an incredibly important time for the local manufacturing sector.
“The Morrison Government is committed to Australian manufacturing and supporting small and medium sized businesses like Urban Aluminium here in Mount Kuring-gai,” Julian Leeser MP said.
“This investment will not only strengthen this business, it will be an investment in a growing company that provides jobs for Australians, an important confidence boost for our community as we face this unprecedented pandemic.”
Ian Hutchinson, Director at Urban Aluminium, said, “This funding enables us to purchase a machine that will allow the more efficient production of aluminium smart poles which have half the carbon footprint of steel poles and coupled with a long life as they don’t corrode or rust.
“Aluminium poles now make up 60% of Europe’s new poles and around 80% of new poles in the US. Australia has been slower to take up this new more sustainable offering however the market is shifting in this direction as poles are being used to hold more technology like solar lights, wifi and 5G cells.”
200 projects worth more than $215 million dollars are being supported through the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF). The Federal Government is contributing $48.3 million.
Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the projects are expected to create 2,600 Australian jobs and were about preparing Australian manufacturing beyond COVID-19 and the challenges of today.
“We established the MMF before the coronavirus pandemic to help small and medium sized manufacturers invest in capital equipment and new technologies to transform and upgrade their manufacturing operations,” Minister Andrews said.
“I am determined to further strengthen Australian manufacturing and the current pandemic gives us the opportunity as a nation to reassess and commit to the values of Australian-made goods.”
For more information on the Manufacturing Modernisation Fund visit www.business.gov.au/MMF
